Category: College of Education and Human Development

College of Education and Human Development College of Science

Bridging the Gap Between Lecture and Application in STEM Classes

Author(s): Diva Habibi

Mentor(s): Patrali Banerjee, Chemistry/Biochemistry

Abstract

Active Learning is a classroom approach in which students actively engage with subject material through practice problems, group activities, roleplay and more. Previous studies show that active learning works best when students engage in activities while already having a basis of lecture content. This study aimed to answer the question: to what extent should active learning be used in classrooms to achieve the desired cognitive response from students? Students were given lecture videos to watch prior to each class period. A hybrid classroom method was added to an existing general chemistry course where the first month of data collection included no lecture period, solely active learning, and the second month of data collection included practice problems integrated into a recap of the lecture material watched before class. Test scores were recorded per exam. Overall, students performed better on Exam 1 than Exam 2 but this is not an accurate representation of the research as the content per exam varies greatly in difficulty. Score release of previous semesters is under review for comparison with the current semester‘s scores to obtain an accurate representation of the effectiveness of the hybrid classroom.

Audio Transcript

Hi my name is Diva Habibi and I worked with Dr. Patrali Banerjee on a project titled Bridging the Gap Between Lecture and Application Within STEM Classes we worked within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at George Mason University and we worked with a class titled General Chemistry for Engineers. Active Learning is an instructional approach which involves engaging students with course content by means of practice problems, case studies, discussions and more. Recently, active learning has been used as a sole means of teaching within the classroom in replacement of lecture periods. In order for active learning to be effective in its approach, it’s important that students have a basis of knowledge within the course content, and this leads to my question: to what extent should active learning replace lecture content within the classroom period?

To test this, a hybrid classroom is used where students were given both active learning periods and lecture periods. So within the first month of our study, the first exam window fell and we use only an active learning classroom. Students were given lecture videos to watch prior to the class meeting but within that classroom period, only active learning was employed. We used practice problems throughout the entire classroom. And doctor Banerjee would recap the practice problems with the students and went over them after they had completed it. Within the second month of our study fell the second exam window and we use the hybrid classroom, so Dr. Banerjee would do a recap of the lecture that was taught in the videos watched prior to the class period and throughout her recap she integrated practice problems for the students to solve and she would go through them with them.

We collected the test scores from Exam 1 and 2 but we’re waiting on IRB release for the test scores from previous semesters for the same class because we cannot compare test one and test two because especially for general chemistry, the exam difficulty and content differs between Exam 1 and Exam 2 by a large factor. We’re waiting for IRB release of previous year’s test scores and when we get that, we’re going to compare them to see which methods were effective and if our method of the hybrid classroom was more effective or less effective than a solely active learning classroom. I want to thank OSCAR and IRB and I want to thank George Mason University for their help in this project. I would also like to thank Dr. Banerjee for guiding me along this process. Thank you.

Addressing Barriers to Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Among Immigrant Populations in Fairfax County

Author(s): Ha Le, Elizabeth Fortson, Paridhi Pradhan, Nallely Calles, Lina Hussein

Mentor(s): Denise Hines, Social Work

Abstract

The immigrant population in Fairfax is one of the highest in the NOVA region; however, these populations can be underserved and underrepresented in domestic and sexual violence treatment. Literature shows that domestic and sexual violence is prevalent within different immigrant communities, but little is known about the barriers that can prevent potential clients from seeking help. This project involved a scoping review and interviews with community leaders of select immigrant populations: Southeast Asian, Sub-Saharan African, South Asian, Latinx, SWANA, and Eastern European. We find that while there are specific considerations for each population, immigration impacts every part of an immigrant’s life and creates a fear of authorities. Additionally, a lack of knowledge of U.S. institutions as well as traditional gender and family dynamics often leave victims unaware of what is considered abuse and what services or options are available. Additionally, the public perception of sexual and domestic violence services within these populations typically views them as serving “other kinds” of people, and unable to address the specific and nuanced needs of immigrant clients.

Audio Transcript

Lina: Welcome to our Oscar Celebration of Learning presentation! This was a summer
team impact project. Here are some key terms and statistics to go over before we go into this
presentation I do want to point out a trigger warning. Topics on sexual and
domestic violence will be discussed, our main focus was on intimate partner violence. On the left side you can read a definition of intimate partner violence and on the
right side are some facts pertaining to the U.S

Paridhi: The summer team impact project was a collaboration with Fairfax County DSVS
to better understand ways in which to provide care for underserved populations.

Elizabeth: To tackle this project we conducted an intensive literature review and
interviewed community leaders to find out what’s known about potential barriers when accepting Domestic and Sexual Violence Services among different populations in the literature review. We looked at General barriers for different populations within the United States as well as potential solutions to overcome these barriers.

Lina: let’s go over some key findings from this scoping review.

Nallely Calles: These are some themes that we all found within our respective immigrant communities. The first one being you know societal perceptions barriers and fears,
family and traditional roles and values, preferences in surface usage, and just the general of lack of awareness and knowledges on services.

Lina: As an example, we will delve into how different communities experience
traditional and familial roles. In the SWANA Community a common traditional perception held by women is the idea of maintaining the family unit. Women feel that by exposing their abuse to outside agencies they are bringing shame and dishonor to their families. This can lead to social ostracization as women are outcasted from their society, which is why women prefer to use informal networks. These perceptions of shame and honor are passed down through
intergenerational transfer. When women are at a power imbalance with their abuser because they are financially dependent on them or rely on them for their immigration status. They are left in a no-win situation where if they stay with their abuser they continue their abuse but if they leave they are left with nothing.

Nallely: In the Latinx community we see family as a support system you know Familismo
which is essentially a built-in support system we have. We come from a collectivist culture that
really prioritizes family. Family is a barrier this prioritization of family can cause women to endure unnecessary abuse. Distance from family, (Pause) a lot of women or immigrants leave their families behind, and they no longer have the support system that they’re used to. Uh gender norms, machismo and marianismo and just conflicting cultural values when
they come to the US specifically with the gender norms that they’re used to.

Elizabeth: In my research I focused on two populations Eastern European immigrants
and sub-Saharan African immigrants, however I found that among both groups immigration can complicate the family roles within a household. As typically in traditional roles the wife would take care of the children whereas the husband would be the main breadwinner of the family. After immigrating to the U.S this wasn’t very feasible as a single income was enough to support the family which meant that the wife would have to go and take on more work which would lead to what was called role strain which could cause conflict that could then escalate into domestic violence.

Paridhi: These are some of the themes that were prevalent among the South Asian
population the first one is insecurity of immigration status since most of the victims immigrated to the United States through marriage for social mobility, but this also gave the risk of not having knowledge about the new country they were going to be living. In the second theme was a lack of support system where victims of domestic violence were conditioned to not speak out about their abuse and many of the victims were also financially dependent on their abusers since they were not allowed to hold jobs.

Paridhi: And lastly moving on to the implications of the project these are the future efforts and
implications it includes understanding societal context to meet the unique needs of each population through a culturally centered approach the main takeaway is that service providers and community members must collaborate together in order to engage effectively to and to make progressive changes.

Paridhi: Thank you for watching our presentation!

College of Education and Human Development Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

The Winning Game: Analyzing the negative implications of the win-at-all-cost mentality on intercollegiate sports

Author(s): Nana Osei-Wusu

Mentor(s): Julie Aylsworth, College of Education and Human Development

https://youtu.be/cW3CpOTlOAg

Abstract

The glorification of winning in intercollegiate sports over the years has taken an unhealthy turn. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has slowly shifted from a governance system based on enforcing its stance on amateurism to one that covertly endorses its slow shift into commercialism. This switch has directly affected the perception of collegiate sports, putting a significant amount of pressure on the coaches to produce winning seasons; thus creating a demand for athletes with high mental toughness. The objective of this study is to research the emphasis on mental toughness in athletes as the win-at-all-cost mentality continues to prevail within the intercollegiate sporting scene. Drawing from pre-existing literature to enhance our understanding of mental toughness. We will be able to determine what programs focused on supporting collegiate athletes will be beneficial, what should be included and how to properly tailor them to combat the negative implications established by a fixation on mental toughness.

Audio Transcript

Introduction:
When this research project began my goal was to analyze the negative implications of the win at all cost mentality in sport. I soon realized 2 months into my research that the effect of the win at all cost mentality was one that could not be dissected in a semester.

We will begin from where I started…… This is currently the world of intercollegiate sports

*Roll 16 second clip*

According to the Washingtons Posts review of thousands of pages of financial records from the athletic department of 48 schools the five wealthiest conferences in intercollegiate sports. In 2014 these 48 schools spent a combined amount of $772 million on athletic facilities, an 89-percent increase from $408 million spent in 2004. These lavish facilities are a result of a perpetual Arms Race between Division 1 institutions. The underlying purpose of this “race” is to attract Blue Chip athletes.

Transition slide: What is the Arms Race and what does it have to do with the win-at-all cost mentality?

*insert video explaining the Arms Race = Audio*

Top tier athletes boost attendance and create winning seasons.

* Edited clips addition *
Top Tier Athlete + School = boost in attendance +winning season (Show clip of Duke audience + show team holding NCAA championship)

Research regarding the win-at-all-cost mentality was getting overwhelming with so many unturned stones, questions and gray areas. From looking into the arms race to the D1 to JUCO to D1 cycle and the effects of that on athletes to reviewing surveys conducted by the NCAA from the years 2015 – 2022 gauging the mental health of athletes and the disappointing results that showed the mental health of male athletes slowly positively progressing while that of female athletes either stayed stagnant or saw little to no progression.
According to NCAA survey records, 26% of male athletes in the Spring of 2020 reported mental exhaustion, this number dropped to 21% in the Fall of 2020 and rose by 1% in the Fall of 2021. Among female athletes the number of student athletes that reported mental exhaustion was 39 % in Spring 2020 in Fall 2020 it stayed at 39% and dropped by 1% in Fall of 2021.

While I had lost my sense of direction these figures were ingrained in my memory. Pushing me onto the path of more specific research. I had an idea of what could possibly be causing our athletes these high levels of mental exhaustion and my new focused research was born. I was going to prove that our current idea of mental toughness is flawed and directly leading to the decline in the mental health of athletes as they reach their breaking points.

My research this semester did not go as I had planned it to but, I am excited for the new path it has created for my research in the upcoming Spring 2023 semester as well as my research in the summer. I will be able to do a more in depth analysis of the win at all cost mentality as well as the effects of our perception of mental toughness.

College of Education and Human Development Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

Middle School Teacher Experiences Regarding Implementation of a Student-Engaged Design Course

Author(s): Asuka Nuwere

Mentor(s): Anastasia Kitsantas, Educational Psychology, Research Methods, and Education Policy

Abstract

Student-Engaged Design (SED) incorporates teaching students how to become independent learners by incorporating key principles of learning, motivation, and cognition. The purpose of the present study is to examine teachers’ perceptions of the function, utility, and implementation of an SED intervention focused on developing the self-regulatory functioning of middle school students. The sample consisted of nine teachers (n=9) who received professional development on how to implement this SED course. All teachers were interviewed and were asked to provide reflections on their experiences regarding the function and utility of SED. Classroom observations were also conducted. Using a thematic analysis, findings revealed that the SED intervention promoted student self-advocacy, curiosity, growth mindset, and self-regulation. Educational implications and future suggestions are discussed.

Audio Transcript

Hello everyone, my name is Asuka Nuwere. I am a Psychology Honors student at Mason.
I will be presenting my research about Middle School Teacher Experiences
regarding the Implementation of a Student-Engaged Design Course, which is aimed to help students to develop self-regulated learning skills and improve academic learning and achievements.

My research is part of a larger funded project to test the effectiveness of a Student-Engaged Design course. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers’ experiences
implementing an SED course by capturing their perceptions of its function and utility.

Prior Research shows that middle school is a crucial phase in every student’s educational career. Another research suggests that SRL is an important skill that middle school students need to develop to succeed in school, and teachers can be trained to facilitate student’s SRL skills. However, most SRL interventions focus on college students.

Not only does SED teach students how to become self-regulated learners, but it provides educators the tools to support their students by including seven components crucial for effective learning and development. SRL, Motivation, Deep Learning, Curiosity, Growth Mindset, Self-advocacy, and School Connectedness

In my study, I ask three research questions. My first research question is What does an SED intervention look like in middle school classrooms? My second research question is How do teachers perceive the function and utility of the intervention with respect to developing middle school student’s SRL skills? My last research question is To what degree do middle school teachers use the key features of the intervention while teaching?

My method of examining these research questions involves a sample of nine in-service middle school teachers in the rural Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The majority of the participants were white and female, and the targeted middle school is a medium poverty level school.

Nine teachers participated in four professional development workshops, and the SED course was embedded in the curriculum. Following their implementation of the course, four teachers were observed for one class period, and semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted on Zoom. Three teachers completed reflections at the end of the academic year.
Data were collected through three different instruments. I used MaxQDA to perform thematic analysis of teacher interviews and reflections. I used descriptive statistics to analyze teacher observation data.
To answer research questions 1 and 2, I coded teacher interviews and found a total of 260 codes. Preliminary results show that all of the key components of the intervention were found in the data. Among the codes, SRL and Deep learning were found most frequently.

Two themes were found through the thematic analysis. Project Learning and SRL skills learning. Project learning refers to student learning by engaging in and working on projects and getting more hands-on learning of the content as they learn. SRL Skills Learning refers to the students learning of SRL skills that will help them manage their own learning.
Here are the sample quotes.

Three main themes were identified as SED intervention function themes. Enhancing Student Motivation, Fostering Collaboration Skills, and Differentiation. Enhancing Student Motivation refers to the impact of teaching style and project-based learning on student motivation. Fostering Collaboration Skills refers to supporting students’ collaborative work
to make progress toward their learning goals. Differentiation. This theme refers to teachers’ awareness of students’ needs despite students not expressing them. Here are the sample quotes for the three themes.

The results of teacher observation show that among all the key components, Student Self-Advocacy and Growth Mindset were found the highest and the SRL performance phase was the lowest. The results showed that teachers dedicated themselves to helping students
speak up, however, teachers did not explicitly encourage their students to use the performance phase, and monitor their progress. Overall, the observers found that teachers were able to develop students’ learning through the intervention.

I coded the teacher reflection data and found a total of 54 codes. Preliminary results show that among the codes, SRL, deep learning, and growth mindset are found most frequently.
Participating teachers indicated that the SED intervention was useful for improving students learning and development. These findings are consistent with prior literature that show
curiosity, self-advocacy, and deep learning improved student learning and performance.
Our preliminary results may have important educational implications for teachers.

Based on the findings, SRL and other crucial components such as deep learning, self-advocacy, and growth mindset were most useful for improving student’s learning and development. Teachers should focus on having students work on projects of student’s choice
and encourage students to apply SRL skills in a practical manner while students are working on projects. Moreover, to enhance student’ motivation, teachers should support students to work collaboratively with peers to achieve goals.

This study has limitations worth mentioning. Some teachers did not provide the end-of- reflections. Participation in this study was voluntary, and the participating teachers may have been already motivated. The generalizability of the findings is limited. The findings of this study should be validated with other samples in the future study.

I am still in the process of finishing all the analysis of our data, but my goal is to disseminate the findings and present them at conferences. I would like to express my special thanks and gratitude to the OSCAR, Dr. Lee, Dr. Kitsantas, as well as my team members who helped me in doing this wonderful project. Thank you for watching.

College of Education and Human Development College of Engineering and Computing College of Humanities and Social Science Summer Team Impact Project

Physiological Data Associated with Linguistic Racism

Author(s): Pamela Benitez, Elizabeth Kwari, McKenna Olsen, Susan Pham, Sara Razavi

Mentor(s): Nathalia Peixoto, Volgenau School of Engineering

Abstract

This project focuses on testing the correlation between linguistic racism and anxiety using physiological data. In this experiment, participants consisted of two groups, native English speakers (NES) and non-native English speakers (NNES). Each group had 5 participants, with a total of 10 participants. In the pre-experiment phase, participants were required to fill out two surveys. The first survey was on social anxiety and the second survey was on their emotional state. In addition, participants were exposed to a 25-minute video. The video was organized into 4 sections: (1) listening to 10 min. of relaxing music, (2) 10 min. Relating to linguistic racism, (3) second time taking their emotional state survey, and (4) listening to 5 min. of relaxing music. The hypothesis is that when NNES are exposed to linguistic racism, anxiety-like symptoms will occur such as an increase in heart rate and body temperature. Another part of our hypothesis is that non-native English speakers will be more stressed or sad after watching the linguistic racism video. To find this correlation, quantitative data was collected using E4s and Muse 1. Other data analysis will include participants’ survey results before and after watching the linguistic racism video. The qualitative data results that will be more focused on is comparing the participants’ results in their emotional state, specifically their changes before and after watching linguistic racism.

Audio Transcript

Hello everyone, we are one of the groups taking part in the STIP (Summer Team Impact Project) program for the summer of 2022. Our group consists of five members that helped with research and running experiments throughout the entirety of the summer. These members include Susan Pham, Elizabeth Kwari, Sara Razavi, Pamela Benitez, & McKenna Olsen.

While there are many that view being different as something good, being unique, there are just as many people that also degrade others for being different too. Words like foreigner, second class, alien, etc. are just some examples of direct forms of the prejudice that many had experience in today’s society. However, it does not just stop at direct comments. There are numerous ways that society subtly expresses racism whether it be certain words and actions, but not enough research has been done to show that this an actual problem. Our group’s project hopes to bring more awareness to the topic of linguistic racism and show that such subtle forms of racist words and actions do have a significant impact on an individual’s psyche, shown through their physiological signals.

Before we begin an overview of our group’s research, it is important to first understand what exactly linguistic racism is.

Linguistic racism is a type of prejudice individuals may have towards others based on the way they speak, accent or dialect they have, or their repertoire. Linguistic racism can be expressed in a variety of ways but is often done through the form of explicit verbal attacks such as mocks, slurs, and name-calling.

Not only does linguistic racism affect an individual by making them feel embarrassed because of their way of speaking, but it can also affect them on a deeper level, going as far as affecting the individual’s mentally. There are studies to suggest it may lead to increases in anxiety, depression, and insecurity about their language skills. Because of this, victims of linguistic racism may feel that they have reduced opportunities for self-representation and require increased effort to try and mask their accents.

And this brings us back to our group’s overall objective and research question relating to this project. Our objective is to investigate experimental methods to capture physiological data related to anxiety and linguistic racism. Our research question is how did our team test the correlation between linguistic racism and anxiety?

Based on some previous studies that have researched on detecting social anxiety with E4 data. E4 Empatica watches were used to collect physiological data and only heart rate, electrodermal activity, and skin temperature can be used as social anxiety indicators.

Our first trial procedure consists of a few steps. First, participants wore E4 watches while watching a video. Second, the video itself had three sections, the first section of listening to soothing music for 10-minute, second session of watching a 3-minute video on racism, then listening to soothing music again for 10-minute. Lastly, E4 data was synched to the E4 connect website.

The results shown from the first trial did not capture what we were looking for. Our hypothesis is that heart rate will increase when the participant is exposed to linguistic racism. In both of these graphs, both the participants from the non-native English speaker group showed a consistent heart rate pattern the whole time watching the video and listening to relaxing music. It is important to note that the decrease in skin temperature was due to the room temperature the participants were in.

Based on the first trial methods errors, our final trial procedure is much more structured and thorough. First, participants wore E4 watches and the muse 1 headband. Next, participants took 2 surveys on personal anxiety and emotional level. The second step included the participant listening to 10 minutes of soothing music, then watching a 6-minute video on linguistic racism, and then listening to 5 minutes of soothing music once again. Participants pressed the E4 button to mark their event of transitioning between listening and watching the video. Afterwards participants retook the emotional level survey.

Results from the second trial show that when the participant is watching the 6-minute video about linguistic racism, there is a slight increase in heart rate.

Tying it back to our hypothesis, it is predicted that participants would show an increase of heart rate when exposed to linguistic racism. What the researchers are looking for is a correlation between an increase in heart rate and frontal cortex activity. In the E4 graph, during the linguistic racism video section, there was an increase in heart rate. With the muse graph, we can associate not only that the heart rate was increasing, but the participant’s frontal cortex was active when watching the linguistic racism video. This correlation can show that the participant was either angry, anxious, or stressed.

Some issues we have encountered were technical related problems of data collection. Some participants showed weaker physiological responses and that the Muse 1 headband had issues streaming onto the muse app. Another issue is that the first trial setting had a lot of background noises and the room temperature would be on the cold side. Lastly there was the issue of lack of relatability. Some participants in both the native English-speaking group and non-native English-speaking group showed no reaction when watching the linguistic racism video.

Here is our bibliography

A Special thanks to George Mason University and the OSCAR Office for this research opportunity. Thank you to all the team members who have worked hard in this project, and Susan, who is the project manager of this group. Special thanks to Dr. Zhang and Dr. Park for supervising us and thank you to Venkat and Nathalia for supporting us.

College of Education and Human Development College of Public Health College of Science Honors College Summer Team Impact Project Undergraduate Research Scholars Program (URSP) - OSCAR

How do sleep, physical activity, and diet contribute to aerobic fitness in U.S. firefighters?

Author(s): Hana Khan

Mentor(s): Joel Martin, Marcie Fyock-Martin; Kinesiology

AbstractAbstract: Firefighting involves high intensity work and requires firefighters to maintain optimal levels of health. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their occupation, firefighters’ sleep, diet, and physical activity (PA) are often compromised, contributing to low aerobic fitness.

Purpose: To determine how sleep, PA, and diet behaviors contribute to low respiratory fitness in U.S firefighters. Methods: Participants included [10 males, 3 females, age: 36(30, 41), years of service: 14(10, 18), height(cm): 181.9(177.5, 185), mass(kg): (122.4(109.6, 121.7)] and needed to be Prince William County Firefighters and have no prior history of CVE, pulmonary, renal, and metabolic disease. Participants took a diet (REAP-S), sleep (PSQI), and PA survey (IPAQ-SF). Anthropometric measurements were taken using a BOD-POD®. The 3-minute step test was used to determine aerobic fitness. A Mann-Whitney U test with a p value of 0.05 was used to determine significant variables between two groups: those who performed poorly on the step test versus those who performed above poor. Effect size was calculated using Glass rank biserial correlation coefficient. The project was exploratory, so alpha was set to <0.01. Results- Variable(W-score, p-value): BF %(15, 1), PSQI(18.5, 0.6086), REAPS(18.5, 0.6066), and MPA(21, 0.3458), LPA (18, 0.6709), and Sitting time(12, 0.6709) FFM(11, 0.5541) showed no significant differences between groups. However, FM(4, 0.07593) and VPA(29, 0.02139) were statistically different between the groups. Conclusion: Post- statistical analysis showed that only VPA(29, 0.02139) and FM(4, 0.07593) were statistically different between the two groups. Vigorous physical activity is necessary in firefighters given the intense nature of their work. Excess fat mass is also a hindrance to performance and health as it can increase risk for cardiovascular events. Fire stations need to work towards implementing fitness programs to sustain firefighter aerobic fitness.[/expand] [expand title="Audio Transcript"]Hello! My name is Hana Khan. I'm currently an undergraduate student at George Mason and I am majoring in Community Health with a concentration in Nutrition. I'm so excited to share my research question with everyone that I worked on during my Summer Team Impact Project. So, my research question is: How do sleep, physical activity, and diet contribute to aerobic fitness in U.S. firefighters? You might be wondering, why is this an important or relevant question to ask? As I spent time in the project, it became apparent to me that many firefighters are not able to maintain healthy fitness levels, despite often having to perform physically difficult tasks. Their sleep, diet, and physical fitness levels have been shown in numerous studies to be sub-optimal, and studies have pointed to correlations between these three. Research has shown that aerobic fitness is especially important in firefighters- and yet, many do not have the required fitness levels needed to safely perform their jobs. It turns out, CVD is a leading cause of death in firefighters, most likely due to their work duties. Aerobic capacity is also correlated to CVD, where a low capacity means a higher risk. So I really wanted to focus on that with this topic. There were 13 participants in total, and their specific demographic information is listed on the slide under the methods section. The participants took a few surveys to assess their diet, sleep, and physical activity status. They then had some measurements taken, such as height, weight, body fat, etc. And finally, they performed a three minute step test, which is essentially a test that is used to determine aerobic fitness that involved stepping on and off plates raised to 12 inches to a metronome set to 96bpm. We divided the participants based on how they performed on the 3 minute step test. So one category was for those who performed poor, and one was for those who performed above poor. So after looking at all these variables from the surveys and measurements as seen in the table, and running them through a Mann-U-Whitney test, we found that only Vigorous Physical Activity (which we got from the physical activity survey) and Fat Mass (which we got from the anthropometric measurements) were significantly different between these two groups. Now, I will say that a limitation of this study is definitely that the surveys have self reported values, which means the participants may over or underestimate their responses. However, it cannot be ignored that fat mass and vigorous physical activity are both very important to firefighter fitness and performance. Vigorous physical activity is needed on the job when climbing and carrying things is needed, and excess fat mass can be a hindrance to performance and also increase CVD risk. Thus, I believe it would be beneficial for fire stations to provide individualized fitness programs aimed at targeting aerobic fitness and keeping firefighters active instead of launching them into a physically intense situation from a very low active situation. That's all from me, thank you for listening and I hope you gained something valuable from this presentation![/expand]

College of Education and Human Development Summer Team Impact Project

Exploring the Correlations Between the Functional Movement Screen and the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire

Author(s): Rouse Barker, Victoria Ghanma, Joseph Hahn, Hana Khan, Kayleigh Newman, Arasta Wahab

Mentor(s): Joel Martin, Marcie Fyock-Martin; Kinesiology

AbstractLaw enforcement officers (LEO) work in demanding jobs and are at high risk for developing injuries. Approximately 67.7% surveyed reported experiencing lower back pain (LBP) at some point during the past year. Duty belts, patrol cars, and load carriage all contribute to LBP in LEO. LBP has been demonstrated to limit mobility, which decreases Functional Movement Screen (FMS) score.

PURPOSE: To test whether LEO who receive “at risk for injury” scores on the FMS (score <14), report greater lower back pain according to the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire (OLBPQ). METHODS: 6 male police officers with LBP, completed the OLBPQ. Officers were then evaluated on performance of the FMS. LEO were separated into two groups, those scoring below and above FMS composite score of 14, FMS-Low and FMS-High, respectively. Independent t-tests and correlation tests were conducted. (r=0.22, p=0.68, Alpha = 0.05) RESULTS: There was no significant difference in OLBPQ between the groups (p=0.74, D=0.28) nor significant differences in FMS scores, except for active straight leg raise. No significant correlations existed between OLBPQ score and FMS (r=0.22, p= 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: The research findings suggested that FMS scores were not indicative of severity of LBP. Mobility didn't appear to change with increased LBP. This indicates that an FMS score of 14 may not be the proper cut off point for determining disability for LEO with a history of LBP. Based on these results, it appears that LBP might be caused by different factors for different people and that mobility is not necessarily indicative of pain intensity. These results were contrary to the expected outcome. One limitation of this study was the small sample size of 6 participants. Future research should be conducted to test if other mobility tests, such as the Y-Balance test, correspond with LBP in LEO.[/expand] [expand title="Audio Transcript"]Hello everyone. My name is Kayleigh Newman and this summer I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Joel Martin, Dr. Marcie Fyock, Megan Sax Van Der Weyden, Mike Toczko and other fellow undergrad student interns. With our OSCAR grant, we worked with two groups, law enforcement officers with backpain and firefighters without back pain. I spent most of time this summer working on the law enforcement officers project. For this study, we were interested to know if there was a correlation between mobility and lower back pain felt by law enforcement officers. Before starting the study, we recognized that lower back pain is more common in police officers and we realized this is due to many factors, including the duty belts these officers wear and how much time they spend driving in patrol cars. Lower back pain often limits mobility, so we wanted to see if this was the case in law enforcement officers as well. Our participants first filled out the Oswestry lower back pain questionnaire which asked them to be very specific about the prevalence and intensity of their lower back pain. We used the FMS, or functional movement screen, to test the mobility of 6 male police officers. The FMS uses 7 different tests to evaluate someone's movement ability, the deep squat, inline lunge, hurtle step, shoulder mobility, straight leg raise, trunk stability push up, and the rotary stability exercise. You can achieve a max score of 21 on the FMS. However, in research, a score of 14 or lower is widely regarded to be the cut off point for being at risk for injury. 3 of the six participants scored below 14 and the other 3 participants scored above 14. These groups were called the FMS-low and the FMS-high groups respectively. Statistical analysis was conducted which provided us with further data to interpret. To our surprise, the results showed that there was no significant differences in the LBP scores between the two groups and that there were no significant correlations between the Oswestry lower back pain score and the FMS. This means that despite what we anticipated, lower back pain did not appear to impact mobility, according to this study. Finally, the results also showed that there were no significant differences in the individual tests on the FMS between the two groups except for one test. The FMS-high group scored significantly higher (meaning they had better mobility) in the active straight leg raise than the FMS-low group. This is an interesting finding because the active straight leg raise tests for hamstring abnormalities and hip problems, which are both risk factors of lower back pain. So, even though the groups were not different in terms of their overall FMS scores or Oswestry lower back pain scores, they were different in terms of the straight leg raise. Overall, the findings suggested that the FMS may not able to indicate lower back pain severity, as mobility didn't change with increased lower back pain. It's quite possible too that an FMS score of 14 is not an accurate cut off point for these types of participants. However, this study did have a limitation in terms of only having 6 participants so far. It is an ongoing study and more participants will be included later, so it may be best to reinterpret the data later once more has been collected. One suggestion for future research is to explore how other mobility tests, such as the Y-Balance test, corresponds with lower back pain in police officers. As I wrap up, I want to thank all of our participants throughout this study who made our research possible as well as all those who worked behind the scenes. I want to than the OSCAR organization, Dr. Martin and Dr. Fyock as well as the grad students, Mike and Megan, who guided us on a daily basis this summer. It has been a great experience working with everyone and learning how to review literature, test subjects, use lab equipment, interpret data, and present data. I look forward to continuing my work on this project and seeing how far we can take it. Thanks again to everyone.[/expand]

College of Education and Human Development College of Science Honors College Summer Team Impact Project

Firefighter Mobility and Balance: A Descriptive Analysis

Author(s): Victoria Ghanma

Mentor(s): Joel Martin, Marcie Fyock-Martin; Kinesiology

AbstractThere are no firefighting tests that measure the mobility and balance in firefighters (FFs), so little is known about the mobility and balance in FFs. Knowing more about the mobility and balance in FFs might provide more information on movement related injuries, especially since falls are the primary injury mechanisms in FFs.

PURPOSE: This study aims to explore the mobility and balance of a cohort of firefighters, using the Functional Movement Screen® (FMS) and Y-Balance Test.

METHODS: Thirteen professional firefighters (males=10, females=3, age: 37 ± 9.31 yrs; Height: 180.75 ± 6.16 cm; Weight: 121.72 ± 19.65 kg) volunteered to be part of this study. The wall-sit-and-reach was used to measure flexibility. The mobility of FFs was measured using the Functional Movement Screen® (FMS). The Anterior Y-balance test (YBT) was used to measure lower extremity balance and asymmetries. Test for normality showed the data was not normally distributed, data was normalized with a log10 transformation. All descriptive data is presented in means and standard deviations.

RESULTS: The body fat percent of the firefighters was 38.83 ± 5.11 %. Their fat mass was 47.26 (10.94) kg, and their fat-free mass was 70.34 ± 12.05 kg. The wall-sit-and-reach scores were 25.96 ± 8.76 cm. The YBT (right leg) score was 57.54 ± 7.76 cm and the YBT (left leg) score was 59.08 ± 7.29 cm. The asymmetries found between the two YBTs (right and left) were 3.69 ± 3.10 cm. The total FMS scores were 11.39 ± 1.26.

CONCLUSION: Comparing the data in the present study to a study published that examined service members in the military, we found that the service members had higher YBT scores than the FFs. Also, all FFs scored <14 on the FMS, indicating that the FFs tested were at a higher risk of developing an injury.[/expand] [expand title="Audio Transcript"]Hi, my name is Victoria Ghanma, and I am a sophomore here at George Mason University. This summer team impact project project has taught me a lot, and I was taught how to discover. My project involves First Responders, specifically firefighters. This summer I had the opportunity to closely work with those firefighters and learn more about the firefighting occupation. Firefighters generally take a test called the CPAT, which stands for the candidate physical ability test. This test tests the physical ability of firefighters but it does not test their mobility, also known as movement, or their balance, so we decided to test for those two factors balance and mobility in those firefighters. Before measuring the firefighters' mobility and balance, we took basic anthropometrics using a stadiometer, which is similar to what you see at a hospital when they take your height. We also used a scale to measure weight, and we used the BOD POD to measure for volume displacement to give us factors like body fat percent, fat mass, and fat-free mass. We also measured the firefighters' flexibility using the classic sit and reach box that most of us have used in high school. Then, we measured the firefighters' lower extremity balance using something called the Y balance test, which also tests for asymmetries. The Y balance test was conducted on both legs and the asymmetries between each leg were calculated, calculated by subtracting the difference of the scores of the right leg and the scores of the left leg all absolute valued. We only used the anterior test for the Y balance test. And the other test that we used to measure movement was the functional movement screen shorted to the FMS, and it is used to measure our participants movement. So this test looks at certain movements of firefighters. There are multiple subtests in this test, and they all look at different mobility areas. We have the deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, active straight leg raise, and a trunk stability push-up and we have the quadruped rotary stability test. For all of those are in the functional movement screen and they measure different things. For the data we collected, we tested for the normality of this data. However, the data was not normally distributed, as we always see in research, so what we did was normalize the data using a log 10 transformation. This way, the descriptive data we gathered could be presented in means and standard deviations. So, in this table you can see our results. You will notice that the firefighters we tested were overweight. You will also notice that they lacked on tasks that require balance and coordination. We compared the firefighter y balance test to other service members in the military, and we found that the service members had an absolute reach mean of 60 centimeters on their left leg compared to Firefighters scoring 59.08 centimeters on their left leg and 59.8 centimeters on the service member's right legs compared to 57.54 centimeters in the firefighters' right leg. Also, looking at the functional movement screen, all our firefighters scored below 14 and anything below a 14 puts the firefighters at a higher risk of developing injuries. So, in our data, all firefighters had an increased injury risk. That's why it may be beneficial for the fire departments to adopt a mobility drill that can be done before each shift. This has been practiced in other countries such as Japan and this way the firefighters may also be warmed up for their calls. So, it would be useful to incorporate it here in the U.S and incorporating a mobility exercise in the firefighters' lives may improve movement and reduce injury risk which may raise their FMS scores. It may also be beneficial to conduct semi-annual screening to keep track of the firefighters' mobility and ensure that they are going in the right track. And, thank you very much for listening to my project and I hope you have a great day.[/expand]

College of Education and Human Development Summer Team Impact Project

The Effect of Age and Years of Service on Firefighter Fitness

Author(s): Arasta Wahab

Mentor(s): Joel Martin, Marcie Fyock-Martin; Kinesiology

C:UsersarastOneDriveDocuments9. Summer 2022ResearchPoster Presentation.mp4

AbstractThe firefighter (FF) profession is a demanding job that requires cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and endurance. Evidence indicates that muscular fitness and body composition are related to the ability to perform their occupational duties. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between age and years of service on FF fitness. 96 professional firefighters volunteered for the study. Body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis. The fitness assessment was 30 minutes and consisted of pull-ups, push-ups, curl-ups, and 3-minute step test. In the regression model, examining influence of age and years of service on pull-ups was statistically significant (R2 = 0.04, F(2, 269) = 6.104, p < 0.01). The regression model for pull-ups reveals that years of service was a significant predictor (β = -0.08, p < 0.001). The model investigating the influence of age and years of service on curl-ups was statistically significant (R2 = 0.03, F(2, 269) = 3.625, p < 0.03). The regression model for curl-ups shows that age was a significant predictor (β = -0.35, p < 0.03). For push-ups, the regression model was not significant for age and years of service (R2 = 0.01, F(2, 269) = 1.605, p < 0.20). The regression model for step-ups was not significant (R2 = 0.004, F(2, 269) = 0.556, p < 0.57). The model for body fat percentage was statistically significant (R2 = 0.04, F(2, 269) = 5.489, p < 0.01). The regression model for body fat percentage reveals that age was a significant predictor (β = 0.77, p < 0.001). There is a decline in the number of pull-ups, curl-ups, and increase in body fat percentage. These findings suggest that promoting FF fitness may help address the decline in body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular fitness that comes with age and years of service.[/expand] [expand title="Audio Transcript"]Hello, my name is Arasta Wahab, and I am a senior at George Mason University majoring in Kinesiology. This summer 2022 I was involved in OSCAR's Impact Project where my supervisors, peers, and I conducted research on firefighters. My poster is about ‘The Effect of Age and Years of Service on Firefighter Fitness.' To introduce my topic, the firefighter profession is a physiologically demanding job that requires cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength, and endurance. Due to the high physical nature of this occupation, it may be advantageous to have greater levels of fitness. Consequently, the National Fire Protection Association has placed a minimum standard of 42 ml/kg/min for cardiorespiratory fitness. Despite these recommendations, about 70% of fire departments do not require firefighters to meet this level of aerobic capacity. Furthermore, current evidence indicates that upper body fitness, and body composition are all related to the ability of firefighters to perform their occupational duties. Better understanding the effects of age and years of service on firefighters may lead to improved fitness and occupational performance. The purpose of this study is to assess the relationship between age and years of service on firefighter fitness. For methods of retrospective studies, the total sample of participants were 96 firefighters. The demographics consisted of all males, a median age of 52 years old, years of service of 9 years, and a body fat of 26%. For fitness parameters, body composition was assessed via bioelectrical impedance analysis. The duration of the fitness assessment was 30 minutes and consisted of pull-ups, push-ups, curl-ups, and a 3-minute step test. For statistical purposes, linear regression models were used to examine the influence of age and years of service on fitness measures. Looking at the results table, it displays the effect of age and years of service on firefighter fitness. The variables consisted of body fat percentage, pull-ups, push-ups, curl-ups, and step-ups. Below are the models of age and years of service. In the regression model, examining influence of age and years of service on pull-ups, curl-ups, and body fat percentage was statistically significant. The regression model for push-ups and step-ups were not statistically significant. In conclusion, as these individuals progress into their career, there is a decline in the number of pull-ups, number of curl-ups, and increase in body fat percentage. However, due to the low variance there may be other variables that may influence firefighter performance. These findings suggest that the promotion of firefighter fitness may help address the decline in body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscular fitness that comes with age and years of service. With further research, the effects of age and years of service on firefighter fitness can be used to target their specific needs. Guidance and implementing health programs may provide a call to action for engagement in physical activity. And here are my references for the articles I have used. Thank you and I hope you enjoyed my presentation.[/expand]

College of Education and Human Development College of Public Health College of Science Honors College Summer Team Impact Project

Supporting STEM Education in K-12 Schools Through Physical Education

Author(s): Lainey Borresen, Chelsea Flores, Abigail Kokkinakis, Mia Wilborne, Kara Wright, Safa Yosufzai

Mentor(s): Dominique Banville, School of Education; Nancy Holincheck, School of Education; Risto Marttinen, School of Education; Vernise Ferrer, Stephanie Stehle, Graduate Assistants

Abstract

Summer Team Impact Project
Supporting STEM Education in K-12 Schools Through Physical Education

Undergraduate Research Assistants : Kara Wright, Chelsea Flores, Elaine Borresen, Mia Wilborne, Abby Kokkinakis & Safaa Yosufzai

Abstract :
Our goal for this Summer Team Impact Project is to present a unit plan and activities for physical education instruction while integrating STEM content. Our hope is that this integration can also pique interest in activities for those who may not usually be as engaged during PE. In the literature review we discovered that teachers require detailed guidelines on how to include STEM, newly updated resources and more. Students require real world applications and connections to the STEM content. Research assistants were paired up to create three unit plans focusing on different grade levels. Using Virginia Standards of Learning, we sought to combine relevant science topics for K-12 students with games to develop their basketball, pickleball and softball skills. This plan is flexible, for teachers to use this unit plan in its entirety, or as they see fit. A basketball unit plan was composed for grade 5, highlighting the scientific method, phases of matter and more. A pickleball unit plan was composed for grade 7, highlighting environmental science, solar systems, ecosystems and more. A softball unit plan was composed for grade 9, highlighting physical science, physics, biomechanics and more. Undergraduate students analyzed interviews of current PE teachers to determine themes and barriers to integrating STEM. Some of the main barriers or concerns addressed in these interviews were shortage of time available to teachers, lack of knowledge or confidence in STEM topics and creativity in integrating the STEM knowledge. Each unit plan consists of lead-up games, activities, ancillary materials and more.

Video Transcript

• [collectively] Hi!
• My name is Kaye, and I am a Physical Education major.
• My name is Chelsea, and I’m a Physical Education major.
• My name is Lainey, and I’m a Nursing major.
• I’m Mia, and I’m a Chemistry major.
• I’m Safa, and I’m currently a Community Health major.
• I’m Abby, and I’m an Environmental Science major.
• So, the purpose of our research is to integrate STEM concepts into K through 12 physical education. So, we’re using basketball for fifth grade, pickleball for seventh grade, and softball for ninth grade.
• So, we used the first few weeks of our research to do a literature review, where we found a lot of PE teachers had trouble integrating STEM concepts into their PE classes, for they didn’t want to lose movement time, and they didn’t necessarily know how. So we are creating unit plans to show them how and give examples.
• During our literature review, we found out that many countries who have integrated STEM into PE classes have used creative methods and new activities. But, there’s not been any form of integration of STEM into PE in the United States. So, our research and lesson plans will help other states, as well as other counties in Virginia.
• Fifth grade focused on basketball, and scientific method, and phases of matter.
• Grade seven focused on pickleball. And, our SOLs were mainly around Life Science so we were able to integrate environmental science, environmental harm, solar systems, predator and prey, natural selection in our pickleball activities.
• Ninth grade had softball, where we focused on physical science, biomechanics, and physics.
• In order to get teachers’ perspective on STEM and integration in physical education, our team had the opportunity to interview about nine teachers who taught middle school or elementary. The interviews took about two weeks to complete, and here are some of the findings.
• So, there are some challenges to integration, from being able to condense the STEM topic to overcoming the perception of what STEM in PE entails. So, these are some of the concerns that teachers expressed.
• So, some teachers were comfortable with STEM integration in PE to some extent, and some of them had already done so. But, most of them mentioned that they needed further guidance in order to successfully integrate STEM in PE lessons.
• Some teachers mentioned that not every physical education class is standard on the amount of time, so the lack of time was a major concern around teachers.
• Other barriers to integration was that some teachers felt that integrating STEM into their curriculum is mainly them learning the new technology. And, also, dealing with the county’s bureaucracy, and how much freedom they would have in order to integrate STEM into their PE lessons. So, some of them were concerned about the county’s bureaucracy, mainly.
• The creativity of managing- in bridging the gap. PE teachers touched on methods that could help student engagement in PE, and also expressed hope for enhancement of lessons that STEM integration can bring.
• Ranking STEM areas. Each teacher had a unique perspective about how difficult it was to integrate science, technology, and engineering, and mathematics. But, almost all of them seemed to agree that engineering would be the most challenging to integrate in PE lessons.
• The standards of learning. So, teachers emphasized that it’s important for them to incorporate SOLs into lessons, and sort of keep the validity of the program.
• [collectively] Thank you OSCAR for letting us be a part of this project.